EXTRACELLULAR POLYSACCHARIDES OF SERRATIA MARCESCENS

Abstract

Growth of Serratia marcescens on sucrose, D-glucose, D-galactose, and D-xylose as carbon sources did not affect the composition of the extracellular polysaccharides significantly. D-Glucose was the major component with lesser amounts of D-mannose, heptose, L-fucose, and L-rhamnose. Rhamnose did not appear until near the end of the active growth period and increased proportionately more than the other sugars thereafter. From the culture filtrate after 20 hours growth on sucrose, two acidic polysaccharides were isolated. They were markedly different in composition and electrophoretic behavior although both contained glucose as their major component. One was characterized by a relatively high content of rhamnose and heptose, the other by the presence of mannose; both contained glucuronic acid. Other impure polysaccharides were isolated from the culture filtrate. It seems likely that S. marcescens produced a spectrum of rather similar extracellular polysaccharides of which the two isolated ones comprise the main types.